Santiago Bernabéu Stadium is the official stadium of Real Madrid C. F. But the football team didn’t always play there. Real Madrid C.F.’s first official stadium was called Estadio Chamartin, which remained opened between the years of 1924 and 1947. Towards the end of Estadio Chamartin’s existence, Santiago Bernabéu and Rafael Salgado bought the land located right by the decaying stadium. The pair hired architects Luis Alemany Soler and Manuel Muñoz Monasterio and the plans for the new stadium started to take shape.
Construction began in the fall of 1944 and three years later the Nuevo Estadio Chamartín was inaugurated, with a match between Real Madrid and the Portuguese team Os Belenenses.
After a major remodeling during the 50s, the stadium grew in size to be able to accommodate as many as 125,000 spectators, becoming the largest stadium hosting games in the European Cup. It was in 1955 that, after a General Assembly of Members Compromisaros, the stadium changed its name to Santiago Bernabéu, in honor of Real Madrid C. F.’s president.
During the following years, Santiago Bernabéu Stadium went through a series of remodeling processes to improve comfort and to be able to receive other sporting events.
Today, Santiago Bernabéu Stadium has a capacity of 81.044 spectators, with 245 VIP seats.
Santiago Bernabéu Stadium Tour
The Santiago Bernabéu Stadium Tour includes a panoramic view of the stadium, a visit to “Best Club in History” room, Sensations Room, the pitch, the Presidential Box, the Real Madrid C.F. dressing room, the tunnel, the dugouts and the technical area, the press room, finishing with the official Real Madrid C.F. store.
The tour lasts about an hour and a half. The tours to Santiago Bernabéu Stadium happen every day of the year, with the exception of the 25th of December and the 1st of January. The tours can be taken between 10 am and 7 pm from Monday to Saturday and from 10:30 am to 6:30 pm on Sundays and public holidays.
Visitors should make sure to check if the day they are planning to visit the stadium is a day when a match will take place. On match days, the tours are available only until 5 hours before the beginning of the game, and a couple of hours after the game has ended.
Santiago Bernabéu Stadium is located at Avenida de Concha Espina, 1. To get to the stadium using public transportation, visitors can use buses 14, 17, 40, 43, 120, 126, 147, 150, or line number 10 of the subway system, exiting at the stop called Santiago Bernabéu.
